1. Field
The present disclosure relates to an adhesive tape printer that performs desired printing on an adhesive tape (print-receiving adhesive tape) that serves as a print target.
2. Description of the Related Art
Adhesive tape printers configured to form desired print on a print-receiving adhesive tape and form an adhesive tape with print are already known. According to this prior art, an openable and closeable cover is provided to an upper part of an apparatus main body (label printer main body) of a flat, horizontal box shape. During apparatus operation, with the cover set to a closed state, a print-receiving adhesive tape roll, wherein a print-receiving adhesive tape is wound around an axis line, is mounted to a predetermined location on a horizontal substrate of the apparatus main body (positioned in the interior of the cover in the closed state). At that time, the print-receiving adhesive tape roll is mounted to the predetermined location, vertically from above to below the substrate (in other words, while moving it parallel with the axis line), and disposed so that the axis line is in the substantially vertical direction. Then, the print-receiving adhesive tape is fed out from the print-receiving adhesive tape roll and fed by a feeding roller (platen roller), and desired print is formed by a print head (thermal head) on a mount provided to that fed print-receiving adhesive tape, thereby generating the adhesive tape with print. At this time, a take-up device is provided to an external area of the cover on the substrate of the apparatus main body. The take-up device winds the adhesive tape with print around the axis line in the substantially vertical direction, forming the adhesive tape roll with print.
Nevertheless, the prior art has the following problems. That is, as previously described, both the print-receiving adhesive tape roll and the adhesive tape roll with print are so-called transversely disposed with the axis line direction set to the substantially vertical direction. Further, when the print-receiving adhesive tape roll is mounted, the mounting is performed while moving the roll from above to below, in parallel with the axis line direction, in order to smoothly mount the roll with the cover in an open state. Then, after the print-receiving adhesive tape is fed out from the print-receiving adhesive tape roll, the tape is fed in a horizontal direction while the width direction thereof is set to the substantially vertical direction on the tape transport path until the tape is taken up as the adhesive tape roll with print. As a result of such the disposed orientation of the two rolls, the mounting direction of the print-receiving adhesive tape roll, and the feeding mode of the tape (print-receiving adhesive tape, adhesive tape with print), the horizontal direction (left-right direction) dimension of the overall apparatus increases in size. As a result, the problem arises that a large space is required for providing the apparatus.